One Man
by illegiblewriter
Summary: From "Soujiro's Song"-- Soujiro sets out on his journey to find where he stands after his years of assassination and crime. Along the way, he hits a few road bumps, beginning with a young girl named Deiji, and is haunted by his guardian "angels". pls rr!


One Man 

…Moonlight and Shadow I…

The sun sprinkled its' good graces upon the warm back of Soujiro; he smiled and looked up at the sky. The sky was deep after having wept for the last two days, but the dampening of the grass did not dampen the song of life singing powerfully across the Japanese field of spring flowers.

"Brother Sky, I do believe you're happy to see me today," the young boy called to the high blue. As if in response, the wind rustled a few far off trees. This made Soujiro laugh.

"You've made Sister Wind jealous. While you cried I spoke only to her wile your tears fell outside my window at the inn." Like a wild horse the wind raged on Soujiro before dying back down.

A few moments passed, and Soujiro sighed. Then, for the first time that day, he commented to himself instead of his "family".

"It's glorious days like these that I wish I could drop my wanderings, forget my philosophical objective and just breathe the fresh air."

A face with red hair and bright eyes appeared before him and said, "but what about those you killed? Will _they_ ever have the chance to breathe in the air after a rain?" Soujiro bowed his head to the red-haired man, and muttered a "no". When he ventured to look up into the man's face, his bright green eyes stared back and made Soujiro return his face back down in shame.

Snickering began to ensure behind Soujiro, it was a dark man wrapped in bandages and wearing a loose, purple garb. "Those people would not have appreciated the mornings' air. You have deprived them of nothing."

The small mouth of the newest rurouni emitted another sigh, "my two guardian angels—how is it you cease or leave me alone?"

"You won't let us," Kenshin answered, before both vanished from Soujiro's eyes, Kenshin's words burning into the boy's mind. _You won't let us…_

[---^---]

A "whoosh" and a "thump" echoed across the countryside as a man of near sixty worked the ground of his farm, watched by a young girl on a fence—his daughter.

"Do you need help, sir?" Soujiro had first spotted the man and his daughter when he passed the top of a nearby hill. Now that he was close enough to see the man's heavy breathing and his clothes swimming in sweat, it only seemed natural to the young rurouni to help. 

Kenshin and Shishio could have told him the dangers of interfering with other peoples' lives, but neither their physical forms or imaginary faces were there to warn him.

The old man looked up, gasping from his work. Soujiro smiled and took the tool from his hands. He began hacking at the ground vigorously, and the old man just watched.

"Well," he finally said once Soujiro reached to end of the third row, "you're an awfully spirited young one, aren't you?"

Soujiro gave the man a kind smile and said, "well, I always though I was, but to tell you the truth, I never knew I could do this type of work."

"'This type of work'? What do you mean by that, boy?" The man asked, nonplussed.

Soujiro gave a nervous laugh, "oh, I don't know. Guess all I meant was that I never really worked like other people, that's all." He then returned hurriedly to his work, as far as Soujiro was concerned, the first step to becoming a peaceful wanderer was forgetting he was ever an assassin—even forgetting he was ever a swordsman. To rid himself of his past life, he had to forget; to forget, he could not be reminded; to not be reminded, he could not tell.

The old man ignored Soujiro's still puzzling comment and went to the girl on the fence who was holding out a cup of water to him. He rest and drank while at the same time accepting the random help from the stranger.

Soujiro worked the rest of the day, occasionally receiving a gulp of fresh water from the girl. She was small and petite, with large black eyes and long, dark, eyelashes. Her jet-black hair shone and glistened in the rays of warm sunlight and her ragged clothing draped itself over her small frame. As she walked behind Soujiro (for she had left her place on the fence) her thin body swayed with the wind and her kimono billowed lightly.

All day, from the time Soujiro arrived to when the sun began to set, the girl and the worker had a silent but kind relationship. She gave him water; he smiled and gave a warm "thank you". He led while she followed—all down the rows they went until the old man called for his volunteer to quit work.

"Deiji, go pick up our bags," the man need not have said anything; "Deiji" was already climbing over the fence to where two brown bags rested on the ground.

"U-uh,"

"Soujiro,"

"Yes. I want to thank you, Soujiro, for helping me plant today—"

"It was no problem. You need not thank me."

"Oh, but I do. Is there anything you would like in return? That was nearly a full days' work you did." He eyed Soujiro from over his shoulder.

"Well, if you could tell me where the next town is, that would be helpful."

"It's about ten minutes south, but if you need lodging for the night, our house is only on the other side of this meadow."

"Hmm," Soujiro looked up to the darkening velvet sky, "I guess if it's not too much trouble it would be a very good idea—but I won't intrude for more than a night, sir, I promise."

The old man laughed, "Please, call me Nabuo. And I would find nothing offensive from you, Soujiro. I could never have managed all of this in only a days' labors." Here Nabuo waved his had at the several rows made by Soujiro that afternoon.

"Father!" Deiji called, "we must hurry if I am to help mother with our dinner. She will need to cook an extra plate tonight."

This being the first time Soujiro had heard Deiji speak, and it only being a few minutes after he had learned her name, he was struck by the power in it. The girl was so small, that she seemed to be one of the very shy types with very soft voices. Indeed, she still retained the sweetness of a shy girl, but there was clear evidence that Deiji had a sass and tone to her voice that she exercised at will.

After raising his eyebrows for a bit, he simply gathered his single bag from its' hanging spot on the fence, and followed Deiji across the meadow, with Nabuo a few steps behind him.

[---^---]

The moon, not yet full, smiled in a mother-like way down on the small island of Japan. The country was calm in spring and fragrance as well radiating with the beauty a place seems to have when its' harboring happy times for happy people. 

Deep within the heart of the nation currently swelling with happiness, there was a small building tucked snuggly away underneath the cozy covers of the forest and resting its' head on the pillow of a meadow clearing. Within the old and faded walls of this home there were five occupants sitting calmly on their knees waiting their dinner.

A short but kindly woman shuffled her way into the room, carrying a large bowl of rice in her hands. The bowl was set in the center of the room on a low-lying table and was soon joined by plates of fish and vegetables as well as a set of chopsticks for each member at the small family table.

The dark-haired woman, who insisted on being called on as Airisu by her guest the rurouni, at last sat herself down by her husband, Nabuo. Nabuo thanked the sun for shining, the rain for falling, the crops for growing and, most of all, the fates for blessing them with Soujiro.

"I really wish you wouldn't. I _am_ intruding by eating at your table, after all."

"Now, that is no reason for us not to be thankful." Airisu smiled at the young man, she was so thrilled to finally have guest—her first in ten years. And he wasn't too loud or noisy a guest either, he sat calmly by and spoke respectfully of her home and food… _very respectful, I'm glad he came._

The meal was carried out mostly in silence except for the few moments in which a plate was asked to be passed or else what (such as Deiji's young brother, Burin, often trying to extract tales of adventure from Soujiro, of which Soujiro regrettably gave none). There _was one_ conversation in particular however, that passed to the two pairs of elder ears at the table that struck them as… memorable:

"I know it's been said by my mother and father often, Soujiro, but I must plead my own thanks to your helpfulness as well," Deiji's sugar-sweet voice managed to pour out from her red lips and blushing face.

Taking to heart the young girls obvious nervousness showed by her uncomfortable use of sesquipedalian oratory, he, instead of brushing the thanks off as he had with Nabuo and Airisu, accepted and paid the girl a complement.

"I'm glad my help is so appreciated, but how could I turn down a beautiful young lady such as yourself?"

While this only made Deiji's blush deepen to an all-new shade of red, it made her parents smile and Burin gag.

"You don't need to be so nice to her ya know," he took a moment from his look of disgust to speak to Soujiro.

"I think you'll find that one day you will fell quite differently… one day when you're much older."

Burin choked again, and _this_ time, had enough sense of mind to not try and bring the compliment up again.

[---^---]

"I've made your bed ready, Mister Soujiro," Deiji, still as sweet and meek as ever waltzed up into the room where her father and the black-haired, blue-eyed ex-assassin sat deep in conversation.

"Thank you, Miss Deiji," he nodded to her, "well, if you don't mind Nabuo, sir, I'd like to head to bed now. I'll be wanting to leave early this next morning."

"Of course, young man. How early? I should have Airisu make you a breakfast for your way." His old gray eyes followed Soujiro as he rose to his feet, the wrinkles around his eyes creasing as he gave a warm-hearted smile.

"That won't be necessary. I'll find some food in town tomorrow. Besides, I couldn't trouble her anymore than I already have." Here is where Soujiro took his leave, walking across the wooden floor to where Deiji stood, a head shorter than him, waiting for him to follow her. She turned her back and began to lead him through one or two additional rooms to a place near the edge of the house where a mat lay, accompanied by a pillow and a set of blue blankets.

"I hope this will be enough. I though you might enjoy the quiet of the outside. If the noise gets to you—"

"No, no," he held his hand up, "the cricket are my friends and the rustling of the wind as well. You couldn't have picked a more perfect place. I thank you."

Deiji only managed a nod before scampering as quickly as she could out of the room. Soujiro watched her go with interest before he took to the bed that had been made.

Indeed, the "quiet of the outside" was just what he had wanted. The lull of the winds and song of the crickets was certainly the sweetest lullaby after his interesting day spent in the fields. Usually, this was the time of choice for "guardian angels" Kenshin and Shishio to arrive, but on a night in which he was utterly relaxed and at peace with the world they failed to come for the first time that year. He didn't even notice however, for in a few moments he had fallen asleep; his spirit taken to dreams until his minds' resident rooster awoke him from his slumber.

**A/n: **Okay, well, that was… not bad… perhaps not as well as it could have been, but not bad. I hope you guys don't think the same thing of this fic as I do: a shameful extension of one of my few "successes".

So, -big- clue if you want to understand the title (as if): If there's a "Moonlight and Shadow" One, there has to be a Two. So –this- would be the moonlight, the next chapter the shadow. Again: _as if _you cared.

Well, please tell me what you thought. Reviews are what make me want to keep this comin'!


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